Exodus 16
Big idea: God feeds them, and teaches them how to live on a daily gift. A month out of Egypt, the whole congregation murmurs for food and remembers the pots of meat in Egypt with nostalgia. God's answer is bread rained from the sky, with a stated purpose: that I may test them, whether they will walk in my law. The rules are simple and the lessons are hard — gather only what you need for today, keep none overnight, and on the sixth day gather double, because the seventh is a sabbath. Some keep it overnight anyway and it breeds worms; some go out on the seventh and find nothing. But whoever gathered much had nothing over and whoever gathered little had no lack, and a jar is kept as a memorial for the generations who will never see it.
Chapter 16 settles food. Chapter 17 raises the same question about water, and then adds an enemy — Amalek at Rephidim — so the wilderness tests provision and safety in turn.
16:1–12 — We wish we had died in Egypt
On the fifteenth day of the second month the whole congregation murmurs against Moses and Aaron: we wish we had died by Yahweh's hand in Egypt, when we sat by the pots of meat and ate bread to the full — you have brought us into this wilderness to kill this whole assembly with hunger. God answers: I will rain bread from the sky; the people shall gather a day's portion every day, that I may test them, whether they will walk in my law. On the sixth day it will be twice as much. Moses and Aaron tell them: at evening you will know that Yahweh brought you out, and in the morning you will see his glory, for he hears your murmurings — which are not against us but against Yahweh. As Aaron speaks, they look toward the wilderness, and Yahweh's glory appears in the cloud.
1 They took their journey from Elim, and all the congregation of the children of Israel came to the wilderness of Sin, which is between Elim and Sinai, on the fifteenth day of the second month after their departing out of the land of Egypt. 2 The whole congregation of the children of Israel murmured against Moses and against Aaron in the wilderness; 3 and the children of Israel said to them, “We wish that we had died by Yahweh’s hand in the land of Egypt, when we sat by the meat pots, when we ate our fill of bread, for you have brought us out into this wilderness to kill this whole assembly with hunger.” 4 Then Yahweh said to Moses, “Behold, I will rain bread from the sky for you, and the people shall go out and gather a day’s portion every day, that I may test them, whether they will walk in my law or not. 5 It shall come to pass on the sixth day, that they shall prepare that which they bring in, and it shall be twice as much as they gather daily.” 6 Moses and Aaron said to all the children of Israel, “At evening, you shall know that Yahweh has brought you out from the land of Egypt. 7 In the morning, you shall see Yahweh’s glory; because he hears your murmurings against Yahweh. Who are we, that you murmur against us?” 8 Moses said, “Now Yahweh will give you meat to eat in the evening, and in the morning bread to satisfy you, because Yahweh hears your murmurings which you murmur against him. And who are we? Your murmurings are not against us, but against Yahweh.” 9 Moses said to Aaron, “Tell all the congregation of the children of Israel, ‘Come close to Yahweh, for he has heard your murmurings.’” 10 As Aaron spoke to the whole congregation of the children of Israel, they looked toward the wilderness, and behold, Yahweh’s glory appeared in the cloud. 11 Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying, 12 “I have heard the murmurings of the children of Israel. Speak to them, saying, ‘At evening you shall eat meat, and in the morning you shall be filled with bread. Then you will know that I am Yahweh your God.’”
16:13–21 — What is it?
In the evening quail cover the camp, and in the morning dew lies around; when it goes, a small round thing, fine as frost, is on the surface of the wilderness. They say to one another, what is it? — because they do not know what it is. Moses tells them: it is the bread Yahweh has given you to eat. Gather of it every man according to his eating, an omer a head. They do, some more and some less — and when they measure it, whoever gathered much had nothing over, and whoever gathered little had no lack. Moses says to leave none until morning; some do anyway, and it breeds worms and stinks, and Moses is angry. They gather it morning by morning, and when the sun gets hot it melts.
13 In the evening, quail came up and covered the camp; and in the morning the dew lay around the camp. 14 When the dew that lay had gone, behold, on the surface of the wilderness was a small round thing, small as the frost on the ground. 15 When the children of Israel saw it, they said to one another, “What is it?” For they didn’t know what it was. Moses said to them, “It is the bread which Yahweh has given you to eat. 16 This is the thing which Yahweh has commanded: ‘Gather of it everyone according to his eating; an omer a head, according to the number of your persons, you shall take it, every man for those who are in his tent.’” 17 The children of Israel did so, and some gathered more, some less. 18 When they measured it with an omer, he who gathered much had nothing over, and he who gathered little had no lack. They each gathered according to his eating. 19 Moses said to them, “Let no one leave of it until the morning.” 20 Notwithstanding they didn’t listen to Moses, but some of them left of it until the morning, so it bred worms and became foul; and Moses was angry with them. 21 They gathered it morning by morning, everyone according to his eating. When the sun grew hot, it melted.
16:22–36 — The sabbath, and a jar kept
On the sixth day they gather twice as much, and the rulers report it. Moses explains: tomorrow is a solemn rest, a holy sabbath to Yahweh; bake and boil what you will, and keep what remains until morning. It keeps, and does not stink or breed worms. Eat it today, for today is a sabbath; six days you shall gather, but on the seventh there will be none. Some go out anyway and find nothing, and Yahweh asks Moses how long they will refuse to keep his commandments — see, Yahweh has given you the sabbath. So the people rest on the seventh day. Israel names it manna; it is like coriander seed, white, tasting like wafers with honey. And Moses has Aaron put an omer of it in a pot before the Testimony, to be kept for the generations — they ate manna forty years, until they came to the border of Canaan.
22 On the sixth day, they gathered twice as much bread, two omers for each one; and all the rulers of the congregation came and told Moses. 23 He said to them, “This is that which Yahweh has spoken, ‘Tomorrow is a solemn rest, a holy Sabbath to Yahweh. Bake that which you want to bake, and boil that which you want to boil; and all that remains over lay up for yourselves to be kept until the morning.’” 24 They laid it up until the morning, as Moses ordered, and it didn’t become foul, and there were no worms in it. 25 Moses said, “Eat that today, for today is a Sabbath to Yahweh. Today you shall not find it in the field. 26 Six days you shall gather it, but on the seventh day is the Sabbath. In it there shall be none.” 27 On the seventh day, some of the people went out to gather, and they found none. 28 Yahweh said to Moses, “How long do you refuse to keep my commandments and my laws? 29 Behold, because Yahweh has given you the Sabbath, therefore he gives you on the sixth day the bread of two days. Everyone stay in his place. Let no one go out of his place on the seventh day.” 30 So the people rested on the seventh day. 31 The house of Israel called its name “Manna”, and it was like coriander seed, white; and its taste was like wafers with honey. 32 Moses said, “This is the thing which Yahweh has commanded, ‘Let an omer-full of it be kept throughout your generations, that they may see the bread with which I fed you in the wilderness, when I brought you out of the land of Egypt.’” 33 Moses said to Aaron, “Take a pot, and put an omer-full of manna in it, and lay it up before Yahweh, to be kept throughout your generations.” 34 As Yahweh commanded Moses, so Aaron laid it up before the Testimony, to be kept. 35 The children of Israel ate the manna forty years, until they came to an inhabited land. They ate the manna until they came to the borders of the land of Canaan. 36 Now an omer is one tenth of an ephah.
Scripture text: World English Bible (public domain).